This moist and delicious cake is vegan friendly with a gluten-free alternative. It has a bright lemon flavor and is layered with with whipped coconut cream and fresh berries.
I use any and every excuse to eat dessert. Recipe testing, birthdays, long days, just because…yep, any and every excuse. But really, do we need an excuse? One of the luxuries of being an adult is being able to stay up as late as I want, buy whatever I want, and eat whatever I want. 😜
…well, almost anything. My body still dictates what I can and can’t eat, with gluten and dairy being out of the question for the most part. Luckily, this cake is totally dairy free, vegan friendly, and has a gluten-free alternative as well. For those of us who can’t tolerate certain foods, it’s nice that there are so many delicious alternatives out there.
You can probably tell by my recipe page that I have a thing for cake. Whether it be a layered, bundt, sheet, cup, or mug cake, it doesn’t matter, I enjoy all forms, and in a variety of flavors too—chocolate, vanilla, and lemon are a few of my faves! I added fresh lemon juice and zest to these cakes, and topped them with a creamy coconut whip and plenty of plump, juicy berries!
Here’s to summer—long days, road trips, backyard bbqs, fun with friends, pool time, picnics, and lemon berry cake! Enjoy, friends!
- 3 cups (412g) unbleached all-purpose flour (scooped in and leveled. NOT packed)
- 1½ cup (276g) sugar (pure cane
or coconut
* sugar)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⅓ cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- ⅔ cup olive oil or other oil of choice
- juice and zest of 4 medium lemons (about ⅔ cup juice and ¼ cup zest)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- lemon coconut cream (recipe below)
- 4–5 cups fresh berries of choice, larger berries sliced (use more or less to taste)
- sprigs of fresh mint and edible flowers for decorating, optional
- powdered sugar for dusting, optional
or 
* sugar)- 2 cups (305g) gluten-free flour (I used Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
, in the blue bag)
- 1 cup (100g) super fine blanched almond flour
- 1⅓ cup (276g) sugar (pure cane
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⅓ cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- ⅔ cup olive oil or other oil of choice
- juice and zest of 4 medium lemons (about ⅔ cup juice and ¼ cup zest)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- lemon coconut cream
- 4–5 cups fresh berries of choice (use more or less to taste)
- sprigs of fresh mint and edible flowers for decorating, optional
- powdered sugar for dusting, optional
, in the blue bag)
- 16 oz. regular or dairy-free cream cheese or mascarpone
- 1–2 cans coconut milk or coconut cream (refrigerated overnight; firm coconut cream, liquid discarded. About 1 to 1½ cups. Can also use 1 cup regular whipping cream if not dairy-free )
- 3-5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
, powdered sugar
, or other sweetener of choice (more or less to taste)
- juice and zest from 1 or 2 lemons, to taste
, 
, or other sweetener of choice (more or less to taste)- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans
and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle (cut to fit the bottom.) Set aside.
- Combine flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix in oil, milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the flower is evenly incorporated.
- Evenly distribute cake batter into the pans and place on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 25-35 minutes OR until center is set, and a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Bake time will vary upon pan and thickness of batter.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a bit, then run a knife along the edge of the cake and invert cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whipped Cream:
- In a large mixing bowl, begin to beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add sweetener and lemon juice/zest and continue to beat until fluffy. Add cold, hardened coconut cream, a little at a time, and beat on high until light and fluffy, a few more minutes. Taste and adjust sweetener or lemon flavoring. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- If using regular whipping cream, beat whipping cream separately until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes) and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.
- Putting it together:
- Place one of the fully cooled cakes onto your cake plate. Top with ⅓ of the whipped cream and a handful of of berries.
- Top with another cake layer and repeat the process.
- At the end, top cake with remaining whipped cream and a pile of whole and halved berries. Decorate with edible flowers and a light dusting of powdered sugar (optional).
- Serve right away and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle (cut to fit the bottom.) Set aside.You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
Lemon Layer Cake with Fresh Berries
Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Buttercream
Vanilla Layer Cake with Fresh Berries
I just made this and it’s amazing!
Hi Mariah! I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake! It’s definitely one of my faves! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
Hi Radhika, thank you so much for the kind words! Sorry for the delay, but I’ve been on holiday with my family and took some time off. I have made this cake with coconut flour instead of almond flour, but preferred the taste of the almond flour, so I didn’t keep the recipe. I believe it was 2 1/3 cups gf flour and 1/3 cup coconut flour in place of the almond flour, along with the remaining ingredients listed. I’m not positive that these are the correct measurements, but can double check the recipe when I get back from our trip. 🙂 In the meantime here is another vegan/gf/nf sheet cake you can try: http://www.wifemamafoodie.com/vegan-vanilla-sheet-cake-strawberries/
It’s a vanilla version of this cake with very similar ingredients. Let me know if you give it a try!
Hi Joscelyn,
I stumbled on your blog a little while back and fell in love! Beautiful pictures, lovely looking recipes.
I was wondering, if I could avoid the nutmeal and yet make a great gf, vegan, nf cake.
Do you have any suggestions for me?
Thanks and regards from sunny Singapore!
Radhika
Where can I find ‘lemon coconut cream’ ?
Hi Liss, the lemon coconut cream recipe ingredients follow the cake recipe. Please let me know how the cake turns out for you!
I’ve been in love with this cake since I first saw your Instagram – so beautiful!!
OMG I want to cry! That looks so delicious. It’s so perfect I’d be scared to even cut it and eat it!
– http://www.allshethings.com
WOW this cake is stunning! Wouldn’t ever think it’s vegan – so beautiful ♥
I can’t eat gluten, so I love that you have a gluten-free alternative. That cake looks so beautiful and good. It would be great for the end of a dinner party.
I love lemon cakes … and this one together with all those fruit and cream looks super delicious. I’ll try to prepare it at the weekend. 🙂
That cake looks insane! I am always after baked vegan desserts so I’m so glad I came across this recipe 🙂
This cake si so beautiful I bet it is also super tasty. The cake looks moist and then with all those fabulous berries and cream. I want a slice now =)
OMGOODNESS….I cant even believe how amazing this looks in your photos and how it must taste. Mouth watering and so pretty! Thank you for sharing this…it’s a must try for sure!